"Copperhead" - the latest publication of the National Maritime Museum

We present the latest publication of the National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk: “Miedziowiec – the wreck of a medieval ship and its cargo”. Dedicated to the pioneers of maritime archaeology in Poland, diligently compiled and beautifully published, the book is a compendium of knowledge on one of the greatest discoveries of underwater archaeology in Poland.

-- Advertisement --

“Miedziowiec” is a bilingual (English-Polish) collective work edited by Waldemar Ossowski, PhD, being a comprehensive publication of the results of archaeological research on the wreck of a medieval ship called Miedziowiec, excavated in 1975/76 from the bottom of the Gulf of Gdańsk (area of the roadstead of the port of Gdańsk).

The rich set of goods included in the ship’s cargo and the excellent condition in which they were preserved after six hundred years on the seabed make it possible to classify the Copper Ship as one of the most interesting discoveries in this group of finds on the European scale. Following the completion of conservation measures and research projects aimed at a complete analysis of all excavated artefacts, it was possible to publish a comprehensive final study of this unique discovery.

Among the authors of “The Copper Ship” there are substantive employees of the National Maritime Museum in Gdańsk and invited researchers from academic centres and museum institutions. Excavation works and conservation of the object, reconstruction of the hull and cargo of the Copper Ship are described in detail. A significant part of the publication comprises studies related to the ship’s equipment and personal belongings of its crew.

“The Copper Ship” is the second volume in the publication series Archaeological Research of the National Maritime Museum. The sixteen detailed studies included in the publication are intended to make available the unique collection of artefacts recovered from the wreck, the scientific output of Polish researchers and institutions in the field of underwater archaeological research on the Baltic Sea and studies on the history of maritime trade in the 15th century. The authors of the chapters in this book represent various specialisations, thanks to which the whole work constitutes a complete monograph on the wreck.

The book “The Coppersmith – the wreck of a medieval ship and its cargo” is available for purchase at museum shop.

The task was co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

Source: www.nmm.pl